Almost two years ago exactly, then-U.K. Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening stood on stage at the 2014 Girl Summit in London’s Walworth Academy, drawing the world’s attention to the more than 130 million girls globally who have experienced female genital mutilation, and the more than 250 million girls that are currently married before the age of 15. Standing next to Greening was the former home secretary, now Prime Minister Theresa May.
With the exception of the Girl Summit, May has rarely taken a stand on aid-related issues, and little is known about how May’s aid agenda compares to former Prime Minister David Cameron’s relatively aid-positive platform.
Her voting record yields a few clues: ambivalence toward climate and emissions regulation as well as the Sustainable Development Goals; disinterest in accommodating refugees and aiding in the migrant crisis; and complete silence on the U.K.’s commitment to spend 0.7 percent of gross national income on aid.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
